San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was voted the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season, the league announced Monday. The 22-year-old is the youngest winner in the award’s history and the first to receive the honor by unanimous vote, collecting all 100 first-place ballots.
Wembanyama led the league in total blocks (197) and blocks per game (3.1) and finished second in defensive rebounds per game (11.5) while averaging only 29.2 minutes. His 28.5 percent defensive rebounding rate topped all qualified players, and opponents shot just 42.0 percent from the field when he defended. With Wembanyama on the floor, San Antonio allowed 103.6 points per 100 possessions; that figure rose to 113.7 when he sat, helping the Spurs post the NBA’s third-best defensive rating.
The French star was considered a favorite for the award last season before a February blood clot ended his 2024-25 campaign and left him short of the 65-game eligibility mark. Despite missing some time this year, he cleared that threshold during the final week of the regular season.
Holmgren, Thompson Round Out Top Three
Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder finished second in the voting, receiving 76 second-place and 11 third-place votes. Holmgren ranked second in the league at 1.9 blocks per game and anchored a Thunder defense that led the NBA with a 106.5 rating.
Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons placed third, earning nine second-place and 33 third-place votes. Thompson led the NBA in steals at 2.0 per game while logging 26.0 minutes a night, helping Detroit post the league’s second-best defensive rating (108.9).
Additional Vote-Getters
Thirteen players appeared on at least one ballot. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes completed the top five. Celtics guard Derrick White, Thunder guard Cason Wallace, Pistons guard Amen Thompson, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Knicks forward OG Anunoby each received multiple votes. Single-ballot mentions went to Pistons center Jalen Duren, Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Heat big man Bam Adebayo.
While earning Defensive Player of the Year can sometimes trigger a higher rookie-scale extension under the NBA’s “Rose Rule,” Wembanyama would still need to secure MVP, another DPOY, or an All-NBA selection in 2026-27 for his next contract to start at 30 percent of the 2027-28 salary cap instead of 25 percent.
Source: Hoops Rumors
